Book review: The Hand That First Held

The Hand That First HeldMine by Maggie O'Farrell ispublished by HeadlineReview, priced £16.99.

MAGGIE O'Farrell once said she had no idea where her impulse to write came from, but that it was always her childhood dream to be an author.

Followers of the formerly Edinburgh-based writer have long been glad she followed her instincts, and will be even more so when they set eyes on her latest offering, The Hand That First Held Mine.

The book follows the tale of Lexi Sinclair, fresh out of university, in disgrace and waiting for life to begin. When the bohemian, sophisticated Innes Kent turns up by chance on her doorstep in rural Devon, she realises she can wait no longer and quickly leaves for a new life in London.

In the heart of the 1950s Soho art scene she carves out a new life for herself with Innes at her side.

In the modern day, the novel follows Elina and Ted, reeling from the difficult birth of their first child. She is struggling to reconcile the demands of motherhood with her sense of herself as an artist, while Ted is disturbed by memories of his own childhood.

An extraordinary portrait of Lexi and Elina is revealed, connecting them in ways neither could have expected.

Maggie recently moved to London and is the author of four other novels – After You'd Gone, My Lover's Lover, The Distance Between Us and The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox.

The Hand That First Held Mine by Maggie O'Farrell is published by Headline Review, priced 16.99.